The Final Day: Cu Chi Tunnels

Saturday, June 15, 2013

The final day has arrived and I think I speak for everyone when I say, “It is time to go home.” However, on the inside we all want to stay!

We couldn’t go home until we had another jam-packed day. Today we started with an early wakeup call and headed up to The Cu Chi Tunnels. This was a very famous village for many Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. It was famous for all the hidden underground tunnels that were used to house the men and women living in the area. They were also used for hiding from American troops, and this whole complex system allowed them to communicate without being spotted. From personal experience I know these tunnels are small as small can get. Our tour guide allowed us to climb through the first hundred meters and my knees were already killing. But this was not the only thing we learned while we were there.

We explored many of the fighting tactics, homes, and weapons used by the Vietnamese. From exploring this vast area, we could see the difficulties of day to day life whether it be avoiding an attack helicopter, or learning to carve by candle-light in a dark cramped tunnel. It gave us a different perspective on the whole war. To me personally, it showed that the U.S. really had no fighting chance to win whatsoever. The Vietnamese recycled everything and would put themselves at such a discomfort but they survived and thrived in the area. Today was a great wrap up day to just squeeze a last bit of knowledge into our brains before we set sail on our torturously long ride home.  That is of course after we go bowling. See you all back in America!

~Dane DeRouin

The American War of Aggression in Vietnam

Friday, July 14, 2013

 Northpoint students in front of the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where North Vietnamese tanks entered, officially winning the "Vietnam War," which, in Vietnam, is called "The American War of Aggression."

Being an American citizen, I think that it’s good to know about the history of your country. Today when we went to a museum about the History of the Vietnam War, it seemed that most of us had little idea of what happened in the war. We learned about why the war started, America’s impact in the war and other countries’ impact in the war. At the end of the day when we discussed what we had learned, we all seemed to be interested in the stories about Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a defoliant that the American soldiers sprayed on the Vietnamese jungles because they believed that soldiers were hiding there. The poisonous gases were sprayed by planes in hopes of destroying the trees so that the soldiers couldn’t hide. But because of the harmful gases, many people then and in the future were negatively affected by it. We found that it was very important for us to learn about the history of wars so that we can learn from mistakes and educate the future generations to come.

~Arielle Abrams

Vietnam vs. Cambodia

Thursday, July 13, 2013

Arriving in Vietnam, I saw many differences right away. For one, walking down the street we aren’t constantly asked for a tuk-tuk ride because there are none here. Motorcycles cover the streets. It’s difficult to be here because the people know less English than in Cambodia, where a lot of then know English. Ho Chi Minh City is far more western then Cambodia. Another observation that I made was it seems that they are far less likely to show their niceness towards us than Cambodians.

-Abbey Rodriguez

Excursions: Caves & The Beach

Wednesday, July 12, 2013

The group this morning headed off to the caves and got to explore one of them. In my opinion, the cave was very cool and it had a temple that people have built to symbolize Hinduism. There were a couple times when I thought that I heard some bats in the cave as well. It wasn’t that scary to be in the cave. I could tell that the group was having a great time exploring the area around us. There were a lot of stones that looked like elephants, including a big one that was just outside the cave that the group went into. The day was really hot but going into the cave really cooled everyone down.

After going to the caves, we headed over to a beach to swim and relax. We had a nice lunch by the seashore. It was clearly a beautiful day to go over to the ocean. Everyone had a great time. At the village where we stayed at, some of us got to swim in the river. It started to pour down rain but no one seemed to care about the rain. Now I am getting ready to fall asleep and be ready for the next day.

~Ali Anders

Bus Ride to Kampot

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

We left bright and early that morning for a six-hour bus ride from Phnom Penh to Kampot. Within the first twenty minutes the bus got in a small accident, and we had to get off and switch buses (since the driver had to stay and negotiate with the car's driver). This bus ride was probably the most interesting because it was long, uncomfortable, and crowded. I actually kind of enjoyed it though because I got to see how most people get around in Cambodia. We had two rest stops to stretch our legs but I was happy when it was over because we got to swim in a near by river.

           

The river was right next to the bungalows we were staying in. This place was probably my favorite place we stayed because I felt at home, got to swim a lot, and have some chill time, which was definitely needed.

~Hannah Wright

Music Village Visit

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Today when we woke up, some of us went down to eat breakfast, and I heard there was this really  good beef soup. After that, we took tuk-tuks over to see old friends of Mr. Dyer's. They live in this little village with an outside armada and a small house. All of them play different instruments that a French scholar made from the carvings in the temples. The French scholar, named Patrick Kersale, would go to temples and he looks at the carvings and when he sees an instrument he will try to make it playable. It was a surprise that he actually showed up at the village, since we were not planing on seeing him! But we are grateful that he arrived. After that they did a marching war song that was very interesting.

Bailey, Anthony, and I also went on a walk through the village, and we noticed that all the people looked very happy and grateful for what they had. Then when we got back to town for lunch, and at night we watched a shadow puppet rehearsal.

~Sam DiGiovanni

Angkor Wat

Saturday, June 8, 2013

While visiting Siem Riep, we visited many temples in the area. My favorite was Ankor Wat. Since I have traveled to Cambodia before and seen this temple already, I was so surprised on how much I missed last year. Throughout this entire temple are carvings depicting stories from the past. This year I spent most of my time exploring the older-looking sections of Ankor Wat. There I really got to see what it must have been like to live there thousands of years ago. Judging by the carvings I saw, life revolved around their God. They would worship them with dances and ceremonies. After seeing these and more new things, I feel that Ankor Wat and its many carvings is a great representation of Cambodia’s ancient past.

~Matt Bray

Dengue Fever Concert

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

I can honestly say that last night was (so far) the best night in Phnom Penh. Myself (Hannah), Abbey, Ari, Ali, Dane, Bailey, Matt, Anthony, Sam, Roger, and the two teachers Mrs. Zych and Mr. Dyer went to a Dengue Fever concert.

Before the concert we had dinner on the “street.” This was interesting because before we had only eaten in restaurants. Although it was different, I loved it. The food had more flavor and the people were so nice, even though they knew almost no English.

After dinner we took tuk-tuks to central Phnom Penh. When we first got there I wasn’t too excited. It was outside and no one was dancing. I was ready to go back to the hotel. I was looking around and I saw some friends we had made at the first homestay! Visal, Kavich, Pich, and Srey Neang. There were a couple more but I can’t spell their names. This got my classmates and I so excited. A couple minutes later the band got up on stage. Everyone was screaming and clapping and whistling so loud, and they all looked so happy. Abbey and I worked our way up to the front with our Cambodian friends and sang and danced our butts off.

The band consisted of three American men and one Cambodian woman. The Cambodian woman was married to the guitarist and their love for each other showed through their music. His instrument was an electric guitar combined with chapei dong veng, the Cambodian guitar. The two other guys played the saxophone and the other a regular electric guitar. The mixture of cultures was very interesting to watch.

When the concert was almost over and the band was on their last song, the lead singer told us that anyone who wanted could come up onstage for the last song. I was literally pulled onstage before I knew what was happening. We sang and danced our hearts out during the last song. It was so amazing.

Sadly, like all things, the night had to come to an end and we were forced to say goodbye. Hopefully I will get to see all of my new friends in the near future.

~Hannahxoxo

Countryside Homestay

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

On our second home stay while in Cambodia, we stayed with a music masters name Sok Duch. This man was very kind and loves showing us his music and talking some small talk to us. After he showed us his music some of use were tired and lay down but also some had energy to play volleyball in the dark. After that we went to go eat at a small restaurant right down the street that had good rice and meat. By then, everyone was exhausted and ready to go bed. After a fun day hanging out  with Sok Duch everyone felt thoughtful for sleeping on the ground and knowing that most Cambodians don't get beds so the ground was comfy enough for most of us.

We went back and got under our mosquito nets and tried to sleep in the low humid room waiting for our heart beats to slow down, to cool down and sleep well. Through the night we could hear crickets and people snoring in early morning and most people got woke up by chickens and dogs.

~Roger DiGiovanni

A Civil Party Hearing at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

I woke up this morning very anxious to go to the Khmer Rouge trial. We went to the Killing Fields the day before and I was not sure what to expect at the trial. We arrived at the courthouse and went in this big room filled with chairs and so many people, both foreigners and Cambodians.

When I saw victims of this genocide tell their stories it broke my heart. After almost 35 years these people still hadn't forgotten the horrible things that happened to them and their families. I got to see the leaders of the Khmer Rouge and felt nothing but anger and frustration when I would look at them. It surprised me that they lied about the things they had done. When asked why would they let the guards kill some one’s child, they had said they didn’t know about it and that they would not let that happen. It was a very amazing experience to be able to go there.

~Abbey Rodriguez

The Chuon Ek Killing Fields

Monday, June 3, 2013

Another fabulous day in Cambodia. We arrived at one of the most famous sights to see here, the "Chuon Ek Killing Fields." For those of you who do not know, it is a place where the Khmer Rouge would send innocent men and women to be brutally murdered. Your emotions run wild as you try to understand how could people do this to each other. But really you see this acted out again and again throughout history in many countries.

After feeling disgust toward the Khmer Rouge, my emotions did not really hit me until later in the tour. I saw a white spec as I was walking along the trail, only to discover it was a lone tooth. Even after thirty years of decay and excavating, tons of clothes and body parts still lie in the grave pits around the large parcel of land.

But that was not the only tense moment of the day. Later, we went to S21, an old school that had been converted into a torture and prison facility for the Khmer Rouge to further express their evil. We walked through all three floors of the building. Each floor was either used as a torture room or a small and bloody prison cell. But, with all this we can now understand the history and the harsh views of the Khmer Rouge.

~Dane DeRouin

City Overnight

Monday, June 3

            For our first overnight, we stayed with Mr. Dyer’s friends, who were a part of “Children of Bassac,” a dance class we observed. The area looked a bit scary at first, but when you go inside it is a lot better. The building is burnt-looking on the outside, but on the inside it is a regular apartment building.

            They were very respectful and open with us, served us dinner and breakfast, and talked to us about their living. Some parts of how they live are very interesting: for example, they flush the toilet by pouring water doing the toilet! They want to pick up our dishes for us because we are their guests, and they don’t want us working that much. They supplied pillows, blankets, mosquito nets, and anything else we wanted.

            We weren’t allowed to go downstairs alone for safety, but it was easy to stay upstairs because the people were so interesting. Most of the people that lived there went to school, and if they weren’t going to school they were taking care of the house.

            To me, it was an amazing experience. The people we met take in every moment and they live on the fly. I think they enjoy every part of every day, take what they get, don’t complain, and love every second of it. Also, they make amazing food!

~Anthony Brambila

Dance Lesson Day!

Sunday, June 2: Dance Lesson Day!

        Today was definitely my favorite day so far. We went to Udong temple where we met some village children. They followed us all the way up to the top (509 steps) fanning us in hopes we would give them a couple of dollars. They also fought off some monkeys so that we wouldn't get hurt. They were the most beautiful human beings I have ever seen. They told us how they needed to make $20 so that they could afford school. ($20 in Cambodia is a lot) 

        After we went to lunch in the village we headed back into the city. Instead of going back to the hotel we went straight to the dance academy. The students showed us some of there traditional dancing and I can honestly say that they are the most talented dancers I have ever seen with my own two eyes. Every time I looked at them it was like seeing through their souls. They have so much passion in every movement; it’s breathtaking. When they finished their dances they asked us to show them some American dance. Being the only dancer in the group, I stepped up. I showed them some shuffling and they loved it! They asked me to teach them and they became pros in 10 minutes.

       This day has changed my life for the better. I love Cambodia and plan to live here in the future. 

           

            ~Hannah W. 

Wat Phnom & Traditional Performance

June 1, 2013

            Today we had a relaxing morning. Then, we came up with our own plan of the day in addition to what was planned. We went to a beautiful temple called Wat Phnom. Then we went back to the Flute Teachers house for lunch, ping-pong, and chess. The food was absolutely amazing! We returned to the Russian Market for a little bit longer than yesterday. Then to end out the day, we tried gilled spiders for dinner and went to a wonderful performance.

            The performance, called Passage of life, was a quick rundown of the many ceremonies in Cambodian culture. The young girl becoming a woman ready for marriage, the young boy becoming a monk, the wedding ceremony, the ceremony of cure and the funeral. All very different from what we know in America. I find them more passionate about the ceremonies by the music they play and how open the ceremonies are.

~Anthony Brambila